Gun for firing at ranges which may be varied between very wide limits



Sept. 8, 1925.

N. E. METHLIN GUN FOR FIRING AT RANGES WHICH MAY BHVABIED BETWEEN VERY WIDE LIMITS File d April 4, 1925 E Ai LP E J 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1925.

1,552,864 N. E. METHLIN v GUN, FOR FIRING AT RANGES WHICH MAY BE VARIED BETWEEN VERY WIDE LIMITS Filed April 4, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 8,1925. 1,552,864

N. E. METHLIN GUN FOR FIRING AT RANGES WHICH MAY BE VARIED' BETWEEN VERY WIDE LIMITS Filed A ril 4, 192 4 Sheets-Sheet :s

- Sept. 8, 1925.

' N. E. METHLIN GUN FOR FIRING n nhnensMnxcn MAY BE vgmrzo BETWEEN VERY WIDE LIMITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 1925 emmm, it; L ewn that, LYNIQQLAEEMILI'EIET vented; new. and useful lmplimiemeutfi in Guns; for at: Ranges Which" M'a-yiBe varied, Between :vtr g Wide-Limits; which set ,i forth' iu'; the. tolleivihg i fi llyl:

at-i'on. 1 V :This invent inia'yhe' usecl; (lbw-1 511 for firing at very-long; "ranges or for firihgf at short distances; p In order" to varytheefieetive rangevoi or 7 :ohe particular gun; it ha's ulready been'pro posed to vary the eharge rby displaeinglthe mobturator relatively to the base of; aprow tioh lnthe gun-v tube, the "'v'aii'itionsfof ic-epa'city hei ng obtuined' either by a displace- 1 ment oft-he tube itselfirelafltively to .a, vfixed leviees are t very omplieelted. r. 1 The disadvantage f .mnying nge '(i'. a,; the "initial or inuzz leeloeity) y simply altering the mags of r the (marge an uhval yin'g Chamber is that the ranges "obtained are very iuncertain, the. rangeivary .til lgfaecording to-whethelf the ieharge burns not-e01"; lese' ra' pid 'ly. or completely. I I

In 1 conformity? to; the inventionv the: bore forcing jco es, eeparatecl-bnsmooth *partsb-f the?'bore' which v zi re" oylindrieal or slightly 'conecl; and'one'or the other of these cones facts as at stop forth-e driving band of the i jeetile,aeeorclingito the size of thetween 'aum beck faee- 0 f "the' projeetile'end fthe breech block; 'Useumay be made; "for 1e; ofthe; sametype" of. projectile, the 1 I theJsamedis- "tame from ;their back :fzm'qie,v either Withgav .bhndthe vcliametefi. of: which corresponds, to the foreing cone which is furthest fi'omlthe biieechzebloek, or. with {e han d }01f1l.ai'get dimeter-v eorrespoheliiig to {the}, forcing bone I ie restithe bfeeehybloekq"2i 1.51 Thee; projeetiles pFojwi-ded 5 lfferent Vdiametersimeygbe;useigleitl V eattridge zease si of jclifiefent. le igths spending to the distancehet breebh block; and the ifo-ring 601198 Chosen; or with xamp irojeotilesbeing provided, at

een the EMILIEN ytricr'xil.m, 0E" 9531s,; :ZEVRANCE, -hssxenonf To 'SVGIENEIDER a; I t L MIT J N' l-STOCK F j 1 euw rroitrmme AT' RANGE HI' fi AY BIEl'VfAIRIED wwwem V312, "wID-fimiufie Y 225.: e ial liglfzeel I -Erance, e dent? of Paris, France, have) ini-rp 1 ent d ameters, vuse is made; inconfor t ion felatee fto' a! j gun which i gl o-ves is" us d, he

jeetile which still ;;oceupiee "the same posif'bleeeh: block, oriloy d isplaei ng the "breech; "blOckiil nhhl-l" gun chambel, These" known I the :elleetlv'e I t. Figure 2. 1s a, sectional elevatiofiof -thef chargecohtaihedin the space oompris'ed be-W QOIieS Mid projectiles with 'b-gmds- 3 the i jvelit en of fii'ng gnoeveswhieh rt attlhe; fdrczi one "which. is hm hestjfm the breech; the, saiclfgl ooves beingjstm-ig opiAvit-h zi i e-lfyisli ght' twist Fat their; em: 7 n ment, sqthatiftezforeing ol mm I rom the commeneement'ft lf t e. ifl'm bancl whi h Willhgwe- "travelled; uponcllsehargegalong. a eylindfii f ,cial or slightly:coniea lsmooth path, willfhot he suddenly pulled up at the entrancejror ih the baekepartfof the rifling gro,oues ,fsu ehfe f l :sudden'stopheingliableto eause auiun- 7 tiinely operatiq l Of the-fuseof the 'pro-jee Var o s: examp esfoftm e'pplica the i nventiou are-illustrated in, the aeoom-* pzihyingdmwings in l which' t; '7 V FTgune: 1,i's-"longitudinalsectional; ele fs-g, ae ation of: a Q gun barrel jconstructei a ogr 'l 'w flie ve t w It sho s-th Jamel. f ,grmnged forfil ingatshortdistanees; with 2 "v projectile provided :with a driving be -1d f 1 the dialneter of 'whieheorresponds tothe I; rearffefeingleoper T l 'sarme gun barrel, and shows the latter rangedfor 'firjingatf-lonfg punges that'lg l suywith a;projeetilejwhleh m z ygbe oft e'sig; same sjhapexand ofithe'seme-jdimeusi s' ajs" L those. which ar -used for were hor i V distances, but provided With eel-driving baud p of smaller diameter eorresponclingto the front-forcing. e'one;.-., V Figures-Sand l-Tztre sectional ielemtio showing the ppl-i iqn {of he? imi n i withga-view of use-f eil g made efp ojee e w qvitl1Etwobands; arranged 1 espeetively cfiri'ng. Over h llt a djlo g taneesk 'j (As. fshown in gEigures V and 22,; tube t A; is piQViClQd,Wil3h two vforoi n im ediete yloehin lithe :.-rifliilg; gI -OQVQ ;-z anew the ehincl'th f the gun which; exten 111 cjoriformity-f: to: the" 'invlentio oo nbinationlwith such '3 tube, of L v ferent diameters are used either in combina tion with cartridge cases D or D of different lengths, corresponding respectively to the distance between the cone a and the breech and to the distance between the cone a and the breech, or with a varying number of cartridges, the breech being provided in this case, in the known manner, with a plastic obturator.

In order to prevent the driving band from being suddenly stopped when firing over a short distance, when this band, before entering the rifling grooves has passed through the smooth part A of the bore, its entry into the rifiing grooves is assisted by the very slightly increasing twist which is given to the latter over a certain length E, the rifiing grooves being made straight over this length if desired. I V

In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, the gun barrel is arranged for firing projectiles with two bands. The gun chamber comprises in this case, as in the preceding 7 case, two forcing cones a, a which act as stops before firing, for the rear band C or C. It is provided with a third forcing cone a immediately behind this origin of the rifling grooves, which, when firing at long ranges, serves as a stop for the front band C this band abutting against the forcing cone a when firing over short distances. The spaces A A comprised respectively between the cones a and a on the one hand, and a and a on the other hand, are not rifled and are cylindrical orslightly coned.

The device described and illustrated does not prevent the range being slightly varied in each of the methods of employing the gun tube, by varying the charge contained in the case or the free chargeformed by the cartridges.

In the same way, instead of making use of projectiles which only differ in the diameter of the band, the position of the band may also be varied, in the different projectiles, by making use for example of difi'erent projectiles having bands of the same diameter but arranged at a variable distance from the base of the projectile. Any other modificationof the shape and dimen- 810118 of the projectiles may evidently be also made. 7 s

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare thatwhat I claim is l. A rifled gun for firing at short and long ranges and adapted to be used with projectiles provided with driving bands of various diameters, comprising a barrel having formed in the bore thereof two or more forcing cones decreasing in diameter from the breech toward the muzzle and longitudinally spaced by a smooth portion, or portions, of the bore, said cones constituting stops for the projectile driving bands, the forcing cone located at a distance farthest from the breeclnbeing at the beginning of 'the rifiing of the gun, which rifiing is ap proximately rectilinear near the origin of the same, whereby a driving band, engaged with one of the cones that is at a distance from the cone at the origin of the rifling, is not suddenly stopped at said origin.

2. A rifled gunadapted to receive projectiles fitted with driving bands of various diameters and powder charges of various sizes, the bore of said gun being provided wit-h two or more forcing cones decreasing in diameter from the breech toward the muzzle and longitudinally spaced by a smooth portion, or portions, of the bore, one of said cones constituting a stop for the driving band and the forward one of said cones being provided at the commencement of the rifiing whereby sudden deformation of the driving band is avoided.

8. A gun for firing at variable ranges comprising a plurality of forcing cones decreasing in diameter from the breech toward the muzzle of the gun, a plurality of smooth coned portions formed in the bore of the gun intermediate said forcing cones, said forcing cones being adapted to engage driving bands formed on projectiles to be fired and to deform the same, and rifling grooves formed in the bore of the gun, said grooves having their origin at the front forcing cone, and being formed substantially straight for the first part of their length and then gradually increasing in twist as they approach the muzzle of the gun.

at. A gun for firing at various ranges comprising a barrel having a bore formed therein, said bore having a smooth portion and a rifled portion, a plurality of forcing cones of different diameters formed in the smooth portion of said bore, the smallest of said forcing cones being arranged at the juncture of the smooth and rifled portions of the bore, the portions of the bore intermediate the forcing cones being smooth and slightly tapering toward the muzzle of the gun.

5. The method of firing a gun at short and long ranges which consists 1n varying the powder charge and the diameter of the driving bands of the projectiles to. be fired whereby said projectiles may be seated at varying distances from the breech of the gun.

6. The method of selectively firing prof i 1,553,864 v I jeet ileifrein 5 single at sherta nd long 1 rangesj which consistsin reducing the. powder charges and increasing the'diameterof the rojectile driving band or bands,rwhere- I Joy .t e fprojectiles may be seatedvin the gun breech thereof for sho'rt' range firing, and

increasing the pewder charges and decrees; I

= at?v a; relatively short distance j from .the' V the breech thereof jf or long H;

irhereef .heve if I 

